Below are
excerpts from an article by Arkansas Representative Dan Greenberg opposing
Amendment 2 on the ballot this year. It is one of the best newspaper articles
I have seen in a long time by a legislator. The article eloquently defends the
conservative philosophy. The entire article can be read at this link: Believe
me, it is worth your time to read the entire article.
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Perspective/241521/

Amendment 2 isn’t getting discussed much, but it is without a doubt the biggest
and most consequential change in Arkansas government in my lifetime. Let me tell
you why making this change is a terrible idea.

Annual sessions will make it harder for our representatives to be citizens of
their districts. Annual sessions will create tremendous pressure for pay
increases and higher travel allowances for legislators, who will find it harder
and harder to have real jobs that, every year, allow four months time off.

Annual sessions will also lead to big government in Arkansas. Political
scientists have demonstrated what everybody knows: the longer legislatures are
in session, the more legislation they produce—which generally leads to bigger,
more expensive and more complex government. States with full-time legislatures
generally rank near the top of the list of biggest per-person taxers and
spenders.

Anyone who genuinely advocates government that is smaller, cheaper and closer to
the people must oppose this change to our state Constitution.

Permitting our legislature to spend twice as much time in session will be a
gateway drug to big government—and a recipe for even more uncompetitive
elections and unresponsive politicians. A vote for Amendment 2 runs the risk of
producing state legislators as disconnected as McGovern admitted he became.

I hope Arkansas votes against this Amendment and for our current system of
biennial sessions, which gives as much time as possible to lawmakers to be
representatives of their districts—not just representatives of that huge marble
dome in the center of Little Rock.

(Dan Greenberg is a lawyer and state Representative in District 31 and is also
the son of Paul Greenberg)